Rabu, 30 Mei 2012

5 Benefits of Eating Eggs

Weight Management
For those that want to manage their weight and even lose weight, eggs are a great option. They contain protein which helps to keep you full so you don't snack as often. When you eat protein you aren't as hungry and you'll consume fewer calories. Eggs have fewer calories when compared to other protein foods yet they are packed with the nutrition you need during the day. One large egg has 14 essential nutrients but just 70 calories. Eggs are a great weight management food and they can help with weight loss too.
Improves Concentration
The nutrition n eggs can help you concentrate and learn better when you eat them during the morning hours. Well balanced breakfast that contains eggs helps to get you through the morning hours. You can improve the following for a child by eating eggs:
Attention and concentration
Reading and math skills
Better behavior
Better test scores
When you eat eggs you get essential nutrients in a small package which helps you stay healthy and active. There's only five grams of fat in an egg and only 70 calories so they can help children maintain weight too. They just aren't for kids, adults can benefit from improved concentration by eating eggs as well.
Eyesight Protection
Eggs can help your eyes by keeping them healthy. The yolks contain Lutein and zeaxanthin which are antioxidants and these can help protect your eyes from damage due to ultraviolet light from the sun. These nutrients may also help protect again eye diseases such as macular degeneration. Those that ate eggs often had fewer cataracts as compared to people who ate eggs less often.
Lasting Energy
Protein rich eggs can give you energy and curb hunger. They help you limit snacking and are the perfect food when you need energy for your day. Protein controls the rate at which calories are absorbed by our body. One large egg has six grams of high quality protein and it's in both the yolk and the white of the egg. Eat the whole egg to get the maximum nutritional benefit. Eggs also contain amino acids which are building blocks of the body.
Brain Development
Eggs help supply us with brainpower. Choline is found in the yolks of eggs and this helps stimulate the evelopment of our brains. This is essential to our health but not produced by our body in adequate amounts. We need to get this nutrient form our diets and eggs help to provide it.

Rabu, 23 Mei 2012

3 Beneficial Side Effects Of A Raw Food Diet

Here is the definition of a raw food diet or a diet called a "living diet;" one that is completely comprised of only organically grown raw fruits, vegetables, and sprouts, nuts, seeds, whole grains and sea vegetables.
What is the basic premise of this diet? The fact that before fire was ever discovered, these were the only foods known to man, and that fire and the heat used in cooking, "kills" food and most of the nutrients and enzymes. Man also did not kill and devour the flesh of animals. It is a diet that is going back to the beginning; before cooking, before preservatives, additives, chemicals and poisons began invading food.
When the biggest question arises from objectors of this diet, "what about protein?" the answer given is that our requirements for protein have been over-inflated. The World Health Organization (WHO) claims we only need 5% of total calorie intake in the form of protein and the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) bumps that up a bit to 6.5%. The fruits and vegetables consumed in a living diet more than adequately meet that requirement.
What are the benefits? According to Raw Foodists, many!
  • Digestion. Raw foods are digested quickly and easily. The body does not have to work so hard with complicated digestions that need to break down foods into sugars and amino acids, because they are readily available. Side effect: You will feel better with more energy.

  • Appearance. Raw foodists claim that after a few weeks of a living diet you see noticeable improvements in skin discolorations, puffiness, varicose veins, broken blood vessels and excess weight and cellulite improvement after the diet becomes a way of life. Side effect: You will be happier.

  • Mental Clarity. Proponents of the living and raw foods diet say that this long time diet change will improve memory and concentration. Side effect: You will be smarter.
And this is just three of the benefits of a raw food diet. There are many more, if you decide that eating raw food is for you. It makes logical sense that our bodies are still in the "stone age" in terms of evolution. So doesn't it also make sense that our diets should still be in sync with how our bodies are evolving? Of course it does and that, coupled with argument of the above benefits, is why you should make the decision to change your diet and change your life.

Rabu, 16 Mei 2012

The Six O'Clock Diet

Perhaps you are wondering what "time" is doing attaching itself to a diet description. Well, some of you may have guessed or know it already; however, the Six O'Clock Diet has something to do with restricting eating time. In this diet, you are allowed to regularly eat anything until the clock hits six o'clock in the evening. Your next meal follows the next morning when you wake up. This diet is also known by the description "after six".
The concept lies on the body's metabolism and activities. It is more active during the day and because of that, burning fat and calories is faster and easier as compared to when your body is inactive. Everything you've eaten in a day would be difficult to burn if you continuously munch on food as your activity levels drop. Aside from that, food gets "stored" by the body at night. Most of the body functions are turned off when we sleep, making metabolism slower and weight gain faster.
Why six o'clock? Some say that it is just the right time between night and day. When you stop eating at this point, you give your body some time to work on all the food you've eaten without having to deal with more incoming calories and fats as it does.
What you should remember about the Six O'Clock Diet is that you can eat in the morning but not anything you want. The idea is to eat what you need, not what you can. You still have to watch out for what you eat and what you need. If you overeat during the day, your body may not be able to burn down all the excess you've taken in. If that happens, you will just gain weight. In the same way, don't eat too little during the day and then eat nothing after six. This will cause stress and fatigue and is more likely to get you sick than healthy. What some people do is that instead of eating three full meals a day, they eat four to six meals and snacks instead.
Of course, Six O'Clock Diets have its pros and cons. And just like any other diet, it isn't for everyone. The After Six diet can be quite useful to people who have this urge to raid the refrigerator or eat while watching TV at night. However, for some people, this may cause insomnia and sleeping disorders. Also, the After Six diet can also cause you to eat a lot during the day because you have this feeling of "making up for lost time". It is supposed to be a diet program, not an eating race against the clock.
What does the After Six diet have in common with other diets, though? The main thing here is discipline. If you've made up your mind not to eat after six, then you must also have the firm resolution not to overeat during the day, even though you still have to eat right and healthy for you to support the energy and nutritional needs of your body.

Rabu, 09 Mei 2012

What If Medifast Is Too Hard To Follow?

I often hear from people who are concerned that they are going to have challenges on the Medifast diet. They will often tell me that they don't have any willpower. Or they will say that previous diets haven't worked. They will tell me that they are confused about how the diet works or when and how they are supposed to eat. Common comments are things like: "I have some friends who have had good results on Medifast, but I'm worried that it will be too hard or too confusing for me. I have tried many diets and I have failed at them all. I usually start out OK but then I get overwhelmed at keeping track of everything or I get bored. Is this diet a huge challenge?" I will address these questions in the following article.
Why I Don't Find Medifast As Difficult As Previous Diets: Understand that what I'm about to tell you is only my opinion. Everyone has their own. But honestly, to me, Medifast is the easiest diet that I've been on. The main reason for this is that there just isn't very much to figure out. You never have to count calories or keep track of carbs or proteins. You don't really need to keep track of what you have eaten because all of the meals have roughly the same amounts of calories and carbs. All you really need to do is to eat five of the meals that they send you and eat one main meal (called the lean and green) that you make yourself or you can use frozen food or food from a restaurant. The main criteria for the lean and green is that it is lean protein and low glycemic vegetables. It is just not that difficult. You can make a soup or stir fry. You can have lean protein and a side of two vegetables. Or, you can do a one pot meal. It's very easy to find recipes for this. You can even use frozen foods if you are careful about your choices.
I also actually really like eating six times per day even though in the beginning this was one of my biggest reservations. I just didn't think I could fit all those meals in. But what I didn't realize is that they are small, prepackaged meals. It's no big deal to have a bar on the go or to just unwrap a straw and have a shake. I mean, if you can unwrap or microwave a food item, then this is really all that you are required to do for most of the time. Also, I really liked that I wasn't required to weigh or check in, although help and counselor was available if I wanted it. And no, no one monitors your exercise, but it is encouraged if you want to do it. And they do provide you with free resources for it.
One of the things that I find the most helpful about this diet is that the support. The main website has tons of blogs and forums where people can support one another or just share their experiences. It took a while before I was comfortable commenting, but just reading about other people's experiences and even triumphs was a huge help. So I guess my response to this person's concerns is that I don't find Medifast very difficult. But if you do, there is a lot of support and people willing to help with any challenges that you might have.

Rabu, 02 Mei 2012

Six Pack Abs Diet: Thermogenics

One of the best ways to get a six pack abs diet really moving is to incorporate as many thermogenic foods into the diet as possible. Thermogenesis is the process that the human body uses to burn calories. A good six pack abs diet incorporating thermogenic foods can increase calorie burn by as much as 10% or more, especially if exercise is also employed.
What follows is lists of those foods that are easily incorporated into a six pack abs diet-all of them have thermogenic qualities that will help to burn calories quicker.
Spice It Up for a six pack abs diet!
Capsaicin is found in spices such as hot peppers and will increase the thermogenesis of a six pack abs diet. Use of hot pepper sauce, salsa, or even black pepper to spice up foods will aid in both fat burning and in an overall feeling of fullness in the diet.
Green Tea has a double benefit for diet. It contains both caffeine and substances known as catechins. They work together to increase thermogenesis after the dieter has eaten.
An unusual thermogenic is ice water. Anyone on a diet should be drinking a lot of water in any event, but cooling it to 40' will increase it's ability to burn calories-up to 200 cal per day.
Another good fat burner for a six pack abs diet is apple cider vinegar. Add 2T in a glass of water twice a day. This can help the dieter see visible loss within a month and is an unbeatable combination with a good exercise routine.
Six Pack Abs Diet Foods with Thermogenic Properties
There are also quite a few common foods that help to boost thermogenesis while providing necessary nutrients in a six pack diet.
Apples and celery are both considered 'zero calorie' foods as their calorie contents are basically zeroed out by the energy used to digest them. They provide a good source of fiber to the diet and also contain vitamins that you need.
Berries provide potassium and a way to eat something sweet without adding any extra calories to a diet. Because a good part of the berry (skin and seeds) is indigestible, they block absorption of calories. The best fruits to eat in this category, aside from apples and berries include cherries, grapes, grapefruit, oranges, peaches or pears. All of these should be consumed fresh, as the canned versions have too much sugar. They also lose many of the nutrients from the cooking process.